I just finished reading the latest issue of DMNews (July 13th, 2009 issue) and it struck me that there was very little mention, if any, of direct mail programs that companies were running.
All the stories were about:
- Mobile marketing
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Web loyalty, etc.
Now I completely understand that online marketing is very hot right now, but direct mail for many companies is, and should be, a vital part of their marketing mix.
Now you can say I’m biased because Ballantine provides direct mail services (we offer some digital solutions as well), but it’s a fact that direct mail is VERY targeted and VERY measurable.
If rising costs are an issue, then you become smarter with your direct mail. You lean heavily on your vendors to help you cut costs and/or introduce new ideas. It’s what we do for our clients and it’s what you should EXPECT from your vendors.
Yes, direct mail is changing but if you adapt to those changes, you’ll be OK. Most of our clients (not all) are still mailing at their normal volumes, but have tweaked certain aspects of their direct mail programs. i.e. more finely-tuned lists, more cost-efficient formats, commingling, etc.
You should also look at different printed products. We have a meeting today with a major automobile company to discuss a new printed product that would get them in the mail boxes they NEED to be in at a fraction of the cost.
Or read our previous post on personal URLs. We’re helping one of our clients with a PURL campaign and direct mail is still a big part of the project. An inexpensive self-mailer to get the PURL out there…and then an inexpensive digitally-printed follow up postcard.
Reach out to your customers, and potential customers, from different angles. Online marketing now plays a big role in this approach…and so does direct mail.
8 comments ↓
I agree that an effective combination of targeted direct mail and online marketing can work effectively for small business. In fact many of our companies could benefit from your services.
Hi Eric, we personally don’t work with small businesses (we work with mid to large size companies), but I know from other Marketers I speak to that an integrated approach can work very well for them.
[...] Where Did All The Direct Mail Programs Go? [...]
I’m on the online/interactive team at AH&A (a long standing DM/TM firm) and we guide every single client toward a more integrated approach for their fundraising. All channels MUST work together and do help each other.
I love that you are encouraging the use of PURLs! They offer such a fantastic way to effectively reach and have a two-way conversation with members/supporters.
I agree Brenna about PURLs. The data you get back makes it so easy to coordinate effective follow up campaigns.
It does seem like the trade pubs focus a lot on media strategies as opposed to offer testing, database segmentation, back end analytics and creative work that impact ALL media.
The direct marketing discipline crosses all channels without prejudice of one over the other. Yet, I read just yesterday one of the online evangelists saying that “direct mail is dead, dead, dead.”
This narrow thinking does not serve clients well.
Everything is testable and makes such off the wall statements pure nonsense.
Thanks for writing about what many direct marketing pros are thinking out there.
“This narrow thinking does not serve clients well.”
Ted, you hit the nail right on the head with this statement.
Everything that has been said here is true, the amount of posts that I read these days claiming that direct mail is dead, a thing of the past and social media, online marketing is the way of the future.
This is so not true.
Intergrated marketing strategies are the way of the future and even though we probably will see more of a lean in the direction of online marketing it will be a long time before we truly see the death of direct mail.
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